Campus Sexual Assault Response Report Card Released

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A report was released this morning on how private and public Connecticut colleges and universities address sexual violence.

The schools received high grades for the policies they have in place, but the lowest grades were for sexual assault education for members of Greek Life and for campus response teams, who respond to claims of sexual violence on campus.

Research indicates that up to one in four women will be sexually assaulted during their college career and students who experience sexual victimization are more likely than their peers to miss class, perform poorly academically and withdraw from school altogether, according to the Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services.

Grades have been issued collectively and schools received high marks for their written policies on sexual violence and their post-assault response efforts, including referrals to local sexual assault crisis services programs and interim sanctions before and during campus judicial proceedings.

The grades have improved over the years, according to the Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services.

“Institutions of higher education are becoming much more savvy about the dynamics of sexual violence, what perpetration looks like, and how to provide support to survivors,” said Beth Hamilton, CONNSACS’ Director of Prevention and Programs and the author of the report. “While we are encouraged by the progress we’ve seen in recent years, we need to see improvement in education and training for the entire campus community, especially those people who will be responding to or working with survivors.”

The group also gave credit to lawmakers, who passed An Act Concerning Sexual Violence on College Campuses, which provides guidelines for campuses to follow regarding sexual violence prevention and response. It also requires all Connecticut campuses to provide students with prevention and awareness training related to sexual assault and intimate partner violence.